Sacred Runes
by ImagineDarkness
Summary: A Sacred Rune is an important Rune that all Shawdowhunters are born with. Each Rune matches up with one other Rune in their lifetime. Clary Fairchild is matched up with Sebastian Verlac. However, new guy Jace Herondale also matches up with hers. Forced to choose, Clary beings to question everything. With a war upon them, will she choose love or the only life she's ever known?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Today started off like any other day. I woke up, got dressed and my mom drove me to ShawdowHunter High. You see, I may look like a boring, mostly flatchested, redhead teenager, but my bloodline is ancient. I come from an otherworldly bloodline that fights off demons and protects the world you know. We train at ShawdowHunter High to prepare for a lifetime, however short ours is, of killing demons. The only downside is dying, of course.

"Have a good day, sweetheart!" Mom yells out the window. "Tell Sebastian I said hello!" With that, she drives off.

At sixteen years old, Shawdowhunters are matched up with other Shawdowhunters for a 'life partner.' It used to be called parabatai, but with very few Shawdowhunters left on Earth, it's called 'not optional.'

I sling my backpack over my shoulder and jog up the steps. The doors to ShawdowHunter High are flung open by some rude kid in front of me and I narrow my eyes. "Excuse me," I snap, "it is extremely rude to run in front of someone like that."

The person turns around and grins. If he wasn't so rude, I might have found him attractive. Blonde hair reaches down to his strong jaw line and gold eyes sparkle with mischief. He's nearly a foot taller than me and I can see the muscles bulging through his shirt, begging me to touch them. Dammit, he's a freaking Adonis.

"Sorry," he says, his voice flowing like honey, "I didn't see you there, Red."

I snap out of my trance and glare again. "Well next time, try a little harder." I push past him and make my way to the cafeteria. I accidently run into a wall and swear under my breath. _It's just some guy._ A new guy; I haven't seen him around at all.

My arm burns in pain and I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion. It's only ever hurt like this whenever I'm around Sebastian. I roll back my long sleeves and stare at the Sacred Rune. The black ink curls and wraps around my arm, almost reaching towards something. I look in its direction and see it reaching for the new guy that had the nerve to call me Red. What in the name of the angel?

A Sacred Rune only reaches out to the other Sacred Rune it is made for. Sebastian isn't around anywhere, I don't understand. I blink a couple times and continue to the cafeteria; it's probably just my imagination. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was studying for Mr. Wayland's class.

Sebastian is sitting in our normal spot, quietly talking to his friend Jordan. He notices my presence, the Sacred Rune alerts you to that kind of stuff, and beckons my over. Jogging over, I notice Jordan is laughing at something Sebastian said.

I sit down next to Sebastian and tears are rolling down Jordan's cheeks. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing," Sebastian dismisses. "It's a guy thing."

I frown but brush it off. He and Jordan have all these weird private jokes I'm pretty glad I don't know.

"Did you see the new guy?" Jordan asks me.

"You mean the blonde that cut me off this morning? Yeah, I have."

Sebastian intertwines his hand with mine. "Yeah, it's the infamous Jace Herondale. He's the adoptive brother of the Lightwoods. It's weird that's he's here so late."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's eighteen and doesn't have a life partner."

"Sebastian, don't say that," Jordan interrupts. "It's really creepy when you say it like that."

"Whatever, anyway, most Shawdowhunters don't attend ShawdowHunter High until they're matched up with a 'life partner,' but you know that already. It's just weird that he doesn't have a partner yet."

I resist the urge to say, _but my rune reached out to him this morning. What does that mean?_

"You know how it is, Bass, some Shawdowhunters get their partner a little later."

"I know, but it's really rare. There's something suspicious about it for sure."

The bell rings and Sebastian starts to put his unfinished homework in his backpack. "See you later, Clary." We all part our ways to get to first period.

I meet my best friend, Isabelle Lightwood, is waiting for me at the door. "Hey, why didn't you tell me about your brother Jace?" I ask curiously.

She looks at me uncomfortably. "I don't want you to think we're weird because my brother doesn't have a partner yet. You know how Shawdowhunters are about that stuff."

I shrug my shoulders and we walk into class. "It's okay, Izzy. I think you're weird anyway."

She playfully punches me in the shoulder and we take out seats. Let me just tell you that Weapon Control I is quite boring. All we do is sit around and listen to Mr. Garroway drone on about proper handling and care of angelic weapons. He shows us a bunch of diagrams and videos about it. At the end of each class, we're handed a pop quiz to see if we actually payed attention to any of it.

I feel a poke on my shoulder and turn to Isabelle. "I don't know."

She rolls her eyes at me. "Clary," she whispers. "You don't even know which question I want the answer to."

I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind when the door to the front opens. Everybody looks up to see just who I've been dying to see, Jace Herondale.

He awkwardly shuts the squeaky door and walks over to Mr. Garroway.

Mr. Garroway stands up and clears his throat. "Everybody, please meet our new student Jace Herondale."

Isabelle looks confused. Jace smirks and looks around the room at everybody. He catches my gaze and winks. I have half a mind to walk to the front and slap him across the face. But my right arm begins to throb in pain and I watch in horror as the ink seems to reach for him again. This doesn't make any sense; Shawdowhunters can only have one partner.

Jace holds my gaze for a moment and then looks down at his arm also. A feeling of dread consumes me when I see his rune curling and reaching to me. When he looks at me again, his face is expressionless.

"-I mean, seriously. I don't understand how he doesn't have a partner yet. It just doesn't make sense. I know it happens in extremely rare cases; only about five Shawdowhunters have ever had this happen to them." Isabelle trails on about some other crap I'm not paying attention to.

I violently shake her to get her to focus on me. "What?" she snaps, obviously annoyed. I roll my sleeves up and point to Jace. "Clary, he's a Shawdowhunter, not a vampire. I don't see what you-Oh shit."

Her face pales as we both watch the ink follow and grow in the direction of Jace. "No," she whispers. "You already have a partner. This isn't how Sacred Runes work. Only one partner, no more, no less." She stands up and stares at Jace. "I think his Sacred Rune is reacting too. I just don't understand."

"Well, Mr. Herondale," Mr. Garroway, says, "there's no other seat but to the left of Miss Fairchild. She sits next to your sister Isabelle so it's no problem, right?"

Jace can't even say anything before Mr. Garroway walks off. He stares at his Rune and then back at me.

I sit back down and try to focus on my pop quiz. But I can't. This doesn't make any sense. This shouldn't even be possible.

"Well, Miss Fairchild," he says, making goose bumps appear on my skin. "It looks like we're going to get to know each other pretty well."

I swallow back a lump in my throat, but no words will come out.

"Isn't that right, partner?"

**Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to FanFiction and I think it'd be awesome if you guys would give me a review to tell me how I'm doing. The Mortal Instruments is a series that I've been wanting to write a FF for a while now and I'm excited I finally can. This probably sucks because it's my first fanfic here but I'm trying! I also have a Wattpad, just in case anyone is interested; it's the same username, btw. I don't own The Mortal Instruments or Jace and Clary would be married by now! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I think the world has something against me. Through fourth period, Jace Herondale has classes with me. Every period, he'd catch wink at me or try to make some kind of sexual innuendo. I was getting annoyed, to say the least.

When Demonology ends and the bell rings, I grab all of my stuff and rush to the lunch room. Right now, the only person I want to see is Sebastian; he's my partner, after all. When I get to the cafeteria, I don't see him anywhere and scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion. The only reason he wouldn't be at lunch is if he got went home early or was sent to the Inquisitor's office in downtown Alicante.

I wonder around the lunch room for a minute until I accidently run into Isabelle. I try to move past her but she stops me before I can move. "We need to talk about this," she says in a serious tone.

"There's nothing to talk about," I say, looking over her shoulder for Sebastian or Jordan. "It was an accident; I didn't set the lab on fire on purpose."

Isabelle rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Clary, you and I both know what the _talk _is about. It's much more serious then setting a lab on fire."

I rub my forehead and push past her. "I'm not in the mood to talk about that. Maybe we both hallucinated the whole thing or whatever."

"Really?" Isabelle snorts. "Then explain that." She points to my Sacred Rune as the ink reaches out across my forearm. We both look up and Jace is standing in front of us.

"Hi," he says with a stupid smile on his face.

Before I can stop myself, I slap him across the face, hard. Isabelle lets out a shriek and yanks me away from Jace. "Clary!" she snaps.

We quickly walk away and the ink stops spreading across my forearm. At least it's less painful when he's around now. "You need to talk to the Clave," she hisses softly. "This is a problem they would know how to deal with. It's not every day that a Shawdowhunter matches up with two others."

"For them to know that, both Jace and Sebastian would have to be there. Plus, I didn't plan on telling Sebastian about this."

"What?! Clary, he's your partner, he has to know this kind of stuff." Isabelle gives me a concerned look as we sit down at a table.

"I don't know," I sigh. "I just don't want to worry him. He's already antsy about his dad leaving to help fight that war with the downworlders. He doesn't need something like this on his plate."

"But if you don't tell him, he'll be upset when he hears about this whole situation from someone else."

"No one has to know," I shrug, drawing a rune with my finger on the table.

"Someone has to know," Isabelle concludes. "This is life changing and important. I'm not going to argue with you, Clary. Either you go to the Clave about this issue willingly or I will force you. I'm not going to endanger you because you're afraid of worrying other people. Hell, I'm worried about you right now."

"I'm not in danger," I sigh. Isabelle is so dramatic when she wants to be.

"Whatever." She waves a hand dismissively. "Where is Sebastian, anyway?"

"Finishing up something for Starkweather," Jordan says, sitting down next to us. "So, what's this problem that the two of you are talking about?"

"Where did you come from?" I ask.

"Well, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much-"

"Stop it," Isabelle interrupts. "Clary, you tell him or I will."

Jordan tilts his head to the right and stares at me, confused. "It's a good thing you're sitting down," I say. "Please don't freak out."

"Please, nothing could freak me out more than walking in on my parents going at it."

"Ew, who says going at it?" Isabelle inquires.

"Let me tell the story!" I snap. "When I walked in this morning, the first person I saw was Jace Herondale at the door. I thought he was a douchebag, which he is, sorry Iz, and I can't stand him. I noticed that my arm started to hurt, like when Sebastian and I were first paired up and my Rune was reaching for him. The ink was curling and moving in his direction. Which means, Jace Herondale is also my partner."

Jordan sits there for a moment, drinking it all in. Then, he does the one thing I didn't expect, he laughs. "That's a nice story, Clary, but what is really bothering you?"

I take a deep breath. "That is what's bothering me."

He laughs for a couple moments and then turns serious when he sees my face. "Oh shit, you're not kidding, are you?"

I shake my head and Jordan runs his fingers through his hair. "I think you need to talk to the Clave," he says.

Isabelle lets out an angry huff. "See, that's what I said. I know it's not pleasant to have to talk to the Clave but this is really important."

"Um, guys," Jordan says, nervously. "There might be a bigger problem."

"What?" Isabelle snaps.

"Hey Red." Of all the people to show up, it's Jace. He has goofy grin plastered to his face as he slides in the seat next to me. "What are we talking about?"

My Rune reaches out once more and I feel compelled to scoot closer. "Nothing," I snap.

He leans in close and I catch a whiff of him, leather and cologne. Why can't he smell bad like rotten eggs or something? My face burns and I turn away. I can already tell he's grinning. "Oh nothing," Isabelle says. "Clary already has a partner, not just you Jace."

"Isabelle!" I shriek, glaring daggers at her.

"What?!" Jace yells, standing up and rattling the table with it. Jordan screams as his tray of food falls on the floor and the salad goes everywhere. A random girl walks over, humming 'Fancy' and also screams as she trips over the salad.

I watch in horror as the cafeteria falls silent and everybody slowly turns to look at us with a burning glare. The girl stands up and glares at us also. But it's hard to take her seriously with ranch dressing dripping down her forehead. "Sorry?" Jordan offers as more of a question then an apology.

"Fuck," Jace says, picking up his bottle of Coke.

"Language," Isabelle snaps, also glaring at Jace.

He puts his arms up in self-defense and also ends up spilling it on the girl. She lets out a howl and slaps his across the face. "Hey!" I snap. "There is no need for that!" I pull her away from our table and the death glares she is shooting us.

"There is nothing to see here!" Isabelle yells at the cafeteria room. "Go back to eating your food!" Everybody looks at us one more time before returning to their food. Everybody expect the girl who shoots daggers at us.

The cafeteria doors fling open and Sebastian walks in. Oh great. He walks over to the table and scrunches his eyebrows together. "Who wasted this perfectly good salad?"

After I've caught Sebastian up on the problem and lunch is over, all four of us walk over to the office to talk to the 'Principal' or whatever she calls herself.

Mrs. Blackthorn is munching on a taco when we walk in. "Can I help you kids?" she asks between chewing her sandwich.

"We need to see the Clave," I say.

She puts her taco down and wipes her mouth off. "Wait, all five of you? You better have a good reason to."

"No," Isabelle says. "Just Clary, Jace and Sebastian."

"Then the rest of you need to get to class," she says.

Isabelle and Jordan look at each other and slowly walk out of the room. "What do you need to talk to the Clave about?" Mrs. Blackthorn asks, grabbing a notepad.

I take a deep breath and explain how my Rune connects with Jace and Sebastian's Rune and the whole rest of the mess. "Really," she muses to herself. "I want to see this before I send the three of you off. I can't just let you guys go just because you say so."

I stand next to Sebastian and my Rune curls and reaches toward him. But, unlike before, it stops and begins to reach for Jace. That's new.

Mrs. Blackthorn stares at us, mouth agape. "Well, I'll be. Let me just call the Clave right now." She runs over to her phone and dials the Clave's number.

"Don't worry," Sebastian says. "We'll figure this out together." He places a small kiss on my forehead and scoots closer.

I rest my head on his shoulder and sneak a look at Jace. He face is expressionless but I know he's just good at bottling up his emotions. I can't help but feel a little sorry for him. It's not like this mess just affects Seb and me. I resist the urge to grab the notepad from the desk and sketch Jace. His hair is longer than I thought. The golden curls stop at the nape of his neck and it only makes his skin look more beautiful. He looks more than just a Shawdowhunter; he looks like an angel from God himself.

Jace catches me staring and smirks. "Go on and stare all you want. It's free, unlike some things."

Right then, the spell is broken and I'm back to barely putting up with him. How can someone be that beautiful yet so vulgar?

"I'm telling you!" Mrs. Blackthorn says into the phone. "You'll want to see this." She pauses for a few minutes for a response. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll send them over."

She slams the phone down and motions for us to follow her out of the office. We wait out front and a car pulls up. Good, we're going to see the Cl…wait, is that my mom?

"Clary!" She rolls down the window and shouts at me. I'm pretty sure my cheeks are burning again.

"Not right now!" I yell back at her, embarrassment in my voice.

"I got a call from Isabelle about some kind of problem and I came to see how you are. Who's your handsome blond friend?"

Jace smiles at her, one that could make the world stop spinning for a minute. Wait, what? "Hi Clary's mom. I just want you to know that most people consider me 'hot stuff', not just 'handsome.'"

At that moment, it is completely appropriate for me to face palm. I look through my fingers at my mom's confused expression. Then, she rolls up the window and slowly drives away, giving Jace a strange look as she pulls away.

"I say we need to set up a more proper way to meet your parents," Jace says, turning to me. "That was quite unflattering for your mom."

"You don't need to see her parents," Sebastian snaps, jealously thick in his voice. "The Clave will sort this all out and you won't be in her life anymore."

Jace rolls his eyes and puts his hands in his pockets. "Jealous much?"

"Boys, stop it," Mrs. Blackthorn snaps. A black car pulls up and we get in.

"Are you the kids that need to see the Clave?" the driver asks.

"I'm eighteen so, technically, I'm an adult," Jace pipes up.

"Yes," I reply, shooting a glare at Jace. He shrugs his shoulders as the car drives off.

We get there in no time flat and the driver drops us off at the main entrance. "I'm a little nervous, aren't you Clary?" Sebastian asks, squeezing my hand.

I manage a smile but I am nervous. None of this makes any sense and we need answers. The three of us walk up the steps and I reach to open the door, it already opens.

An older lady opens the door and adjusts her glasses. "What do you need?" she snaps.

"No way," Jace whispers.

"What now?" I snap, glaring at him.

"Where is the other Inquisitor?" Jace asks.

The lady stares at him for a moment and then smiles. "What are you doing here Jace?"

"Are you the Inquisitor now?" he demands, somewhat angry.

"How do you know her?" I ask.

"Clary, other rather unattractive guy, this is my grandma, Imogene Herondale."

**Hey guys, thanks for the eleven reviews! That's pretty freaking crazy; I didn't think I'd get one review, much less eleven. You guys are amazing and thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! Hope you had an amazing Fathers day!**

**ImagineDarkness 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I'm not sure how long I stand with my mouth gaping open. Sebastian's expression mirrors mine also. "I thought Frank Bristin was the Inquisitor," I manage to say.

Imogene Herondale thinks about that for a moment. "Yeah, but he died."

"What?!" Sebastian explodes. "He _died_?! He was like, what, thirty? How did he just die?"

"In the war," Imogene says with a 'duh' tone. "Come along children, I'll lead you to the Clave."

Jace seems to have gotten past his shock and now he's just annoyed. Pushing past us, Jace follows his grandma up the stairs. Sebastian, however, is still just as shocked. He mutters something under his breath that I don't quite catch.

"I think we go now," I say, squeezing his hand. I tug his arm and lead us up the stairs also.

Whatever I expected the Clave's building to look like, this isn't it. There's some sort of jasmine smell that lingers in the air and tall glass windows are at the entrance. Multiple different runes line the walls, some I don't know, line the mahogany walls and a giant skylight lets sunlight stream through the ceiling. Different types of colored robes also hang from the high ceiling and different types of weapons are in glass cases tacked onto the wall.

Questions swarm in my mind as Imogene leads us down the seemingly endless hallway. I let go of Sebastian's hand, much to his confusion, and run up to Jace.

When I lightly tap his shoulder, he flinches and glares at me as if I've offended him. "What?" he snarls.

"Are you bi-polar or something?" I snap.

Jace rolls his eyes and stares straight ahead. "If Imogene is your grandma, why don't you live with her instead of the Lightwoods?" I ask. Jace's shoulders tense and I know I've hit a nerve.

"Why are you so nosy?" he snaps.

"I've only asked one question," I hiss.

"Well, one too many. Mind your own business, Red."

He speeds up his pace and soon I'm far behind him. "Hey!" I say rather loudly and I speed up to match his pace.

Someone suddenly grabs my shoulder and I let out a half-yell. "It's just me," Sebastian chuckles as I whirl around to face him. Then, he nods in Jace's direction. "What's with him?"

I shrug my shoulders and sigh. "That's what I was trying to figure out. Why does he live with the Lightwoods?"

Sebastian stares at me like I've asked the dumbest question ever. "Because his parents died in a previous war."

"You know what I mean. His grandma is literally twenty feet in front of us. Why doesn't he live with her?"

"I don't have all day, kids!" Imogene snaps from in front of us. "Hurry up and stop talking."

Jace stands next to her, well, about ten feet to the right of her. His whole body is tense as if he'd rather not be near her at all.

Imogene snaps her fingers as if we're disobedient dogs. We walk over to her and she stares at the three of us for a moment. "The Clave is _very _busy right now and it would be more convenient if you three were in school rather than here. But, Mrs. Blackthorn said it was important and this better not be a joke. Remember, you are speaking to the highest Shawdowhunters in the entire world, be on your best behavior.

Jace mutters something about the Clave removing a stick from their ass and I cough loudly to hide the giggle that almost escapes. He raises his eyebrow in a way that says _real subtle._

Imogene twists the knob on the tall door and it swings open with a groan. She ushers us inside and then shuts the door behind us. Inside the room, about fifty Shawdowhunters are sitting in an auditorium and we stand on a stage with red curtains.

Imogene walks off the stage and joins the rest of the Clave. A man in the front row stands up and walks up to the stage. "Okay, what do you need our attention for?" he asks in a bored tone.

"Clary's Sacred Rune matches up with both of us," Jace answers, pointing to Sebastian.

The man yawns and pulls out a clipboard from his suit. Why are they so rude today? "I need your full names," he says, clicking a pen.

"I'm Jace Herondale."

"Clary Adele Fairchild."

"Sebastian Verlac, sir."

"Is your mother Jocelyn Fairchild?" the man asks abruptly.

"Yes," I answer slowly, not sure what she has to do with this.

"Who's your father?" he asks.

"I don't know," I say. Jocelyn never told me nor does she intend on telling me anytime soon. He must not be important.

"Interesting," he says. "I forgot to introduce myself. Andrew Blackthorn, yes my wife is your principal."

"Is that the only reason you guys took time out of your _very _busy schedule to see us?" Jace says mockingly.

"No," he says and writes something on his clipboard. "Imogene, tell your grandson to watch his tongue. If he's anything like his father, it could"

"We get it," Imogene interrupts. "Let's get down to the problem."

The Clave stares at us blankly and I shift uncomfortably. "So, show us this Rune problem you were talking about," Andrew says as he sits back down.

I flip my right arm over to show to them. Right now, the Rune seems to have calmed down and is not reaching to either of them. I gulp and stare at Sebastian. There's an awkward pause before he shuffles over to me and the Rune reaches out towards him. It always fascinates me to watches the ink curl and reach, no matter how many times it happens.

Jace also stands next to me and half of the ink decides to reach towards his Rune. I stare into the crowd, waiting for something. Gasps, a sound, even a pin drop. Nothing.

The whole auditorium is quiet as Andrew Blackthorn writes something on his clipboard. How are they not reacting at all?

"Impossible!" a Clave member shouts, breaking the silence. More voices join him as many try to also deny any possibility what just happened is real.

"Sacred Runes are very important! Why make this kind of joke?"

"Control your grandson and his dumb antics!"

"What is this nonsense?"

"Silence!" Imogene screams over the bickering. Once more, the auditorium falls silent. Her voice is shaking. "I don't know what is wrong but something like this was bound to happen. We only started making Sacred Runes about seventy-five years ago when there was a dramatic loss of Shawdowhunters. Man-made things always have some kind of fault."

"Technically, we're Shawdowhunters," Jace states.

"Shut up," she snaps at him.

"Wait, you guys made Sacred Runes? That's not possible," I says.

"No, it's not impossible, Ms. Fairchild. We made a genetic mutation that was supposed to only replicate itself in one other person of the opposite gender. Obviously, one of our lab techs got a little drunk one night and it replicated more than once."

"No way," Andrew Blackthorn thunders. "Don't you dare accuse the lab techs of anything. None of them come to work drunk or high, the managers of the lab make sure of it."

"It's the only plausible explanation," Imogene sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Unless any of you guys have any other explanation."

"I don't," Andrew Blackthorn says, "but that doesn't mean your explanation is right. Maybe this was meant to happen or something."

Imogene Herondale glares at him. "No, this wasn't supposed to happen, thank you very much."

"Does that mean everyone is matched up at random?" Sebastian pipes up.

"Kind of, the two Shawdowhunters have to be somewhat similar."

That's my cue to laugh. "Similar? What the hell is similar between Jace and me?"

"Your partner is Sebastian," Imogene states in a deadpan voice.

"Well, obviously it's not just him now!" I say, not caring about the consequences of speaking out like this in front of the Clave. "Jace's Rune also matches up with mine! That's the freaking reason we're here! And you know, I didn't want to come here in the first place but now I want answers."

"That's how," a Clave members says.

"What's how?" Jace asks, sounding excited. Maybe he thinks what I'm thinking; that they somehow now have an explanation for this Rune problem.

"That's how you two are similar."

I facepalm.

.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you," Imogene says when we leave the building. "I've never seen this before and neither has the rest of the Clave, as you know."

"Mrs. Blackthorn said if anyone could us, it would be the Clave," I say, crestfallen.

"You don't sound sorry," Jace snaps at her.

"For the love of the angel Raizel, it was thirteen years ago! When will you give it up?" Imogene looks more exasperated then angry.

"I'm not sure, it's not every day that your own grandmother tells the Shawdowhunter court that her grandson would be better off with family friends then with her," he shoots back.

"I'm sorry, okay? Every time I see you, I see Stephen. I can't do this. I have duties too, and I wouldn't be able to do if I was depressed seeing you every time."

"Bullshit," Jace hisses. "What a bunch of bullshit. You feel guilt every time you see me, isn't that it? You feel guilt because _you couldn't save my dad!_"

"SHUT UP!" Imogene screams. "Just…go home, Jace. Go home with the Lightwoods and…just go. School is out right now anyway." She sounds more like she's begging him to go so she doesn't have to force him to. Imogene looks like someone kicked a puppy and then turns around to go back into the building. Before she opens the door, she turns to Jace. "You can visit me whenever you want, I hope you know that. Besides, you're better off with the Lightwoods anyway."

Imogene shuts the door and I turn towards Jace. Lightly, I put my hand on his arm to try and comfort him. He twists away from me in disgust. "Don't touch me," he hisses.

"I understand what you're going through. My dad is never around and I'm not sure"

"You don't know," he hisses. "At least you have your mom. My mom and dad are dead and my own grandma can't stand to look at me. You don't know shit about me."

"Your grandma loves you, it's just hard for her"

"Stop," he says tiredly. "You don't need to lie for her too. The Clave, the court, even the Lightwoods lied for her, defended her for her actions. You don't even need to lie for her."

"Do you not like the Lightwoods?" I ask cautiously.

"No, I love them. You just don't understand, Clary. You don't understand what it's like to not have your own blood even want you. I just wish she'd tell me why, not lie to me like I'm still a five year old that needs to be comforted."

"There's always a reason," Sebastian says, making me jump. I forgot he's here. "Maybe it's too painful for her to tell you."

"What a great first day, huh?" Jace laughs bitterly. "My rune matches up with someone who already has a partner and my estranged grandma disowned me again."

He turns away from us and pulls out his phone, probably to text someone to pick him up. "Do you need me to call your mom?" I ask Sebastian.

He runs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. "No, My house if only a block away from this building."

"Do you want my mom to come pick you up also?"

He waves a hand dismissively. "Really, it's fine."

"Max, can you put Alec on the phone? Thanks buddy," Jace says from down the sidewalk. "Yeah, I'm at the Clave building. Well, it's a really long story and I'll tell you when I get home."

There's a pause. "Yeah, Izzy is always worried about me."

After I call my mother, I also sit down on the sidewalk and wait. Yeah, what a great day.

**If you guys are wondering why I missed my Sunday update, it's because I got grounded and my mom took away my phone and my computer. I'm not sure I'm even supposed to be on my computer today but oh well. Anyway, I realized that I can't answer all your questions in a form of a review, so I'll just answer them here!**

**Thebookwaswaybetter2746-Lol, that was a typo. Thanks, I went back and hopefully that is corrected now!**

**MI cra-cra-Um, the Rune is just as confused as Clary and it doesn't know what's going on either. It's torn between the two choices but at the same time it's interested in Jace's rune, if you understand. It's a crappy answer, but kind of an explanation.**

**ddiva-No, she doesn't know about the Rune. All Mrs. Blackthorn told the Clave is that the problem was urgent and three kids were going to be sent over. Nobody expect Clary, Jace, Sebastian and their friends know about it. Well, until this chapter, hehe.**

**Guest-Well, you're just going to have to keep reading to find out! Sorry, I won't give the story away!**

**Thanks and remember, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome; flames and trolling are not.**

**P.S. the characters might be a little OOC in this story, sorry! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

After bidding Sebastian and Jace, who completely ignores me, a farewell, Jocelyn puts the car in reverse and we peel out of the Clave's Headquarters driveway.

Almost immediately, Jocelyn bombards me with questions. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?" she asks, not taking her eyes off the road.

I sit in my seat for a moment and gaze out the window. Should I tell her? _Of course! _The rational side of me argues. _She's your mom; she deserves to know about these kinds of things. _"A lot of stuff happened," I say, "what did Isabelle tell you?"

The light turns red and Jocelyn glances at me with a worried expression. "Not much; you girls and your secrets, I swear it's going to be the death of me. But, seriously, what happened?"

Guilt gnaws at me as I try to keep it in. "Nothing," I decide to tell her, "the Clave just wanted our opinion on a new city ordinance." I don't want to lie to her but, at the same time; I don't want to worry her with this tiny problem of mine. Now days, everyone is worried. With the weirdo Valentine guy trying to take over the Shawdowhunter world with his son, there's no time for fretting over silly things like this. Besides, the Clave _might _figure this out.

_Yeah, because they were _so _concerned about you guys earlier between the bickering and disagreements. _I groan at that thought; it looks like the Clave isn't going to get anything done about this.

"-I mean, I just think you should express your feelings, honey. One day, it's going to build up and then you'll just throw up all your emotions."

My eyes widen in horror and I whip my head in her direction. "That's disgusting."

Jocelyn shrugs her shoulders as if to say, _what can you do? _

We pull into our driveway but the doors remain locked. "I need you to tell me," Jocelyn says, her tone dead serious.

"I told you nothing happened," I say.

Jocelyn shakes her head in frustration. "I feel like we're growing apart. You never tell me anything anymore and now you're trying to keep something in and I know it's killing you. Please tell me, Clary, you don't have to handle this alone." Her fingers are shaking as they reach out and grab mine. Tears brim her eyes as she looks into mine.

"I can't tell you yet," I say, trying to ignore the guilt that flashes across her face. "But I will, soon. I can promise you that. It's just hard to deal…with this."

"Okay," she says, wiping her eyes with her free hand. "I'll give you space. Being a teenager and all, you need your space. I'm always right here if you need me."

I nod my head in understanding and then start to open the front door. I turn to Jocelyn, waiting for her to get out of the car too. "I'm just going to stay here and gather my thoughts," she says, putting her head to the dashboard.

Walking upstairs to my room, I glance at the photographs along the wall. Most are just pictures of Jocelyn and I, but there's this one picture that has always irritated me.

I walk up to it and trace the frame. It's a picture of Jocelyn with a little baby boy. His hair is the lightest shade of platinum blond I've ever seen and his eyes are a startling black color. They say that eyes are the windows to a person's soul; if that's true, the little boy in the picture has no soul. Or a very dark one, at least.

I shake my head and laugh at myself. Who am I to make assumptions like that? I don't even know the boy and Jocelyn said it was a nephew she hasn't seen in a while.

I continue up the stairs and turn the lock on my door. Sitting on my bed, I bring a pillow to my chest and hug it. Why can't I tell her my problems anymore? Why can't I be the cute little five year old that ran to her mother whenever trouble arose?

_I wish my dad was still alive, _I think absentmindedly. Most of the male Shawdowhunters are part of the Clave, at least a member at times. He'd be there in that auditorium and he'd help me, I'm sure of it.

I clutch the pillow closer to me and think about what Jocelyn said in the car. _What have we become?_

.

In the middle of the night, I hear some kind of commotion downstairs and lift the covers to see what's wrong. The door squeaks as I shut it and I see the light to the refrigerator on. Silently, I look over the railing to see the door shut.

"Who is it?" I ask timidly.

"Hey Clary!" Isabelle's voice hollers from downstairs as she turns the lights on. She moves around the kitchen and tries to make her way around the stairs. Yeah, total bull-in-the-china-closet syndrome.

Yawning, I walk downstairs to meet her and put a finger to my lips. "Be quiet! Jocelyn is still asleep and you can't just come barging in my house like this without an explanation."

"Well, I actually left you about fifty calls this afternoon. You are a very hard person to reach, Fairchild." Isabelle shrugs and grabs an apple off the counter. "So, what'd the Clave say?"

"Nothing good," I sigh. "Unless you consider arguing on dumb matters and claiming that we're lying about this crazy Rune problem helpful at all."

Isabelle takes a thoughtful bite of the apple. "I always knew the Clave was made of dumbasses."

"Isabelle!" I shriek.

She gives me a bewildered look. "What?! It's true; have they done anything about Valentine and his crazy band of followers who want to wipe out the downworlders?"

"Not really, but they're just plotting! You need time and resources to take that big off an army down."

"I can't believe you," she laughs. "You believe the shit they shovel into our mouths?! I thought you were better than that, Fairchild."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "They're doing all that they can."

"How could you? After they didn't help you with _anything _and you still defend them?"

This time, it's my turn to laugh. "Who's the hypocrite here?"

"I don't understand"

"You did the same thing!" I say. "When you defended Imogene for her stupid actions in court! You _knew _how badly Jace wanted to be with his family and yet you let Imogene push him away! Hell, you justified her actions."

Isabelle pales. "How do you know that?"

"Guess who the new Inquisitor is?" I snap. "Imogene Herondale, you guessed right! She disowned him again; she told him that he could visit her but he couldn't live with her! What a great grandma she must be."

"You don't understand," Isabelle says quietly, her voice quivering. "You don't understand"

"What do I not understand?" I mutter. "How can a grandmother just leave her grandson in the hands of complete strangers?! What kind of sick bitch does that?"

Isabelle snaps. "Don't you dare call her that. You don't know what she's been through, Clary. You don't know her story and you damn sure don't know shit about Jace."

"I know right from wrong," I snarl. "How could you let Imogene throw Jace out to you people? Especially when he needed her the most."

"Because," Isabelle stares at me for a moment, trying to think of a reason. "It's a long story, anyway. Why do you care? To you, he's just some boy that's Rune matched up with yours, coincidentally."

"Nobody deserves to feel alone in this world," I say, and slouch on the floor. "Nobody."

Isabelle sits next to me on the floor. "What's this about?"

"Nothing," I say bitterly. "Just go back to yelling at me."

"Clary," Isabelle sighs. "I'm sorry, okay? Please tell me."

"It's Sebastian," I say.

"What did he do?" Isabelle starts to get up, ready to defend my honor. "I'm going to kill him with my bare hands."

I laugh and pull her back down. "No, it's not that. I'm just worried about him. I'm worried what this will do to him."

"Why?" she asks. "Sebastian is a big boy; he can take care of himself."

"It just feels like we're drifting," I say. "It's like I'm losing him."

"Really? You two seemed fine and dandy earlier. Was it an act?"

"No, not at all! It's just that Jace…Jace makes him jealous."

"That's it?" Isabelle says with an incredulous tone. "You're worried about your boyfriend being jealous?"

"Remember Sebastian used to pick fights with other Shawdowhunters?"

"Yeah, but didn't you make him promise not to do that anymore?"

I nod. "You know, there's this saying you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink?"

Isabelle shakes her head. "I don't know Clary, Sebastian is a good person at heart. Don't act so suspicious of your boyfriend."

"He can be…violent, if provoked."

"Seriously, Clary, I think you're overthinking this. A little jealousy isn't going to make Sebastian knock Jace's lights out. Besides, have you _seen _Jace? He can take on Sebastian if the time comes. Don't be concerned about Jace…he's not your problem."

"Yeah, I know"

"Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you like Jace!" Isabelle squeals and jumps up. "Oh my God, do you?"

"No!" I jump up also. "I mean yes, well no, maybe?"

"Well this sucks." She sits back down and lets out a sigh. "I mean, if it wasn't you and Sebastian already, this could work."

"Wait, you're not concerned that your best friend may like your brother?"

"Why should I be? If he tries anything on you, I'll cut his throat."

"Iz!"

"I'm just saying! This could be like star-crossed lovers! We'll make this so cliché that it'll be a story or something."

"Iz, I already have Sebastian and I love him, thank you very much," I remind her. "Besides, star-crossed lovers? Really? Do I seriously need that image in my head?"

"Wait, you mean the _lovers _part?" Isabelle contemplates that for a minute and then pretends to gag.

"Hell to the no, I am not going to be Jace's _lover._"

"Whatever." She picks at a strand on her coat.

Then she stares at me for a moment before saying something else. "So no steamy make-up sex?"

"Jesus Christ Isabelle!"

"I'm just saying."

"We're not even dating!"

"Who are you dating honey? Are you seeing someone besides Sebastian?"

"Uh, Mrs. Fairchild, Clary and I were just making up sexual fantasies about the hottest guys in school."

"Mom, Iz is just"

"I'm going back to bed."

"Sorry Mrs. Fairchild."

**So, there's chapter four. It's more of a filler than a chapter that really moves the plot along. Next chapter, stuff will happen, I guarantee you, my lovely readers! I know it's also a little shorter, sorry! **

**Kykat-Yeah, Jace has a lot of unresolved issues that will come up in later chapters but everybody also has skeletons in their closet! It's not just him. Clary…hmm, you never know.**

**Booknerd1522, TheMortlInstrumentNerdXx-I updated!**

**ddiva-Yes, Imogene did act horribly towards him. Maybe she'll have some sort of explanation a little later…(hint hint, wink wink) No one's hands are clean in this story…or are they?**

**MI cra-cra-Sebastian? Evil? I know everyone is getting sick of me saying this, but you'll have to wait and see! I'm not going to make this too cliché and dumb! The rest of your questions will be answered momentarily! I mean in a couple of chapters…hopefully**** Haha, I'm such a tease.**

**Guest-Haha, thanks for the advice.**

**Remember, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome; flames and trolling are not. Oh! And one more thing before I go! Is anyone here a Harry Potter fan? The other day, I was watching Murder in the First, my mom wouldn't turn the channel, and, holy shit! Excuse my language, but seriously! Tom Felton got extremely hot! I mean, the whole time I was drooling after the murderer! Wow, I mean, just wow! He could come to my house and murder me if he shows up shirtless! Lol, I'm just kidding guys, but you get what I'm saying!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I wake up the next morning to the smell of frying bacon. The scent makes my stomach growl in hunger and I can't help but laugh. Last night, Isabelle and I stayed awake for a couple of hours talking about school amongst other things. It felt good to swap secrets and stories with my best friend.

Rolling out of bed, I yawn and walk downstairs to the kitchen. Jocelyn has her hair in a twisted bun with two pencils through it. She hums a song I don't know while she flips the bacon over. "Morning," she says, without looking behind her.

"Good morning," I reply and dig through the fridge for the orange juice.

"So, how were things with Isabelle?" she asks, gazing out the window.

I pour myself a glass of orange juice and lean against the counter. "Good, we were just talking about our feelings and other girl things."

She laughs and I feel a bit guilty. Sometimes, it's easier to talk to Isabelle rather than my own mom about things. "Just remember"

"Mom"

"I'm just reminding you that you can talk to me about anything. I'll listen without judgment," she winks and turns the stove off. "Oh and today is weapons training downtown. It's mandatory that you go."

Stifling a groan, I sit down at the table and drink my juice thoughtfully. Up until this Saturday, I've managed to avoid going to weapons training. It's not that easy coming up with excuses to worm my way out but, in the end, Jocelyn always seems to give in. But today, her tone is serious. No one I'm getting out of weapons training today.

"Just except your fate," Jocelyn jokes as she passes me a plate and begins to cook some eggs. "Don't give me that look, honey; I've told you how hard it is to find a date for you to do some private training."

I give her a look. "Really, I don't consider fifteen other Shawdowhunters standing around waiting for the trainer to help them 'private training.'"

"Must you be so difficult?" she sighs. "Sebastian's mother called early this morning and said he couldn't make it. Stomach bug or something, poor dear."

This makes me nearly drop my glass. "But Jocelyn"

"How many times have I told you to call me mom?" she says, glaring at me.

"_Mom_, we have to train with partners; who am I going to train with if Sebastian can't make it?"

Jocelyn turns her attention away from the eggs for a second and bits her lip. "Funny you should ask that."

Realization dawns on me and I stand up in horror. Why was this happening to me of all people? "You don't mean," I begin, my voice is rather raspy.

She turns her attention back to the eggs but continues talking. "I think it's a good idea to bond with the new boy. Isabelle told me that he's free today to do anything. Honey, I don't see why you don't like this new boy. He seems rather nice."

"Do you not remember what he told you yesterday?" I grind out, squeezing the glass cup.

"Yes, but that's just his way of saying 'hello.' He didn't know what else to say to me and wanted to appear charming."

This makes me laugh. "Charming?" Shaking my head, I put the glass down and put my hands over my face. "Please, Jocelyn, he's just an arrogant little boy."

"Stop it," she says, glaring daggers at me. "That boy, that's Jace Herondale, am I correct?"

"Yes, but I"

"But nothing, the poor boy is nearly an outcast in our Shawdowhunter community. His parents died when he was very young and he could use a friend."

I feel guilty as I remember trying to defend him last night to Isabelle. When did my life become so complicated? One minute I'm defending him and the next I'm sitting at this horribly squeaky table, having an argument about how foul he is to my mom.

"Clary," her voice is tense. "Remember when you were really young?"

"Yes, I mean, kind of."

"Remember how, at the park, parents would pull their kids away from you just because you didn't have a dad, remember that?"

I nod my head quickly, trying to _not _remember. "The reality is," Jocelyn says, "he's hurt, just like you were. Shawdowhunter parents are very particular and old fashioned, but you know that already. Kids without parents in our world are looked down upon. Especially since his parents died under suspicious circumstances."

The last part catches my attention. "What did you say?"

She sounds exasperated. "Sometimes I wonder if you ever actually listen to me. I said, the reality is"

"Not that," I say hastily, "I mean the part about his parents."

"You mean the mysterious deaths?" she inquires. "Oh yeah, you were way too young to know about that, a mere toddler. Anyway, it was all over the news. Some people believed they were avid followers of Valentine. Strange indeed."

"How many people believed that?" I ask.

"Oh, a lot of people."

"Is that why his grandma disowned him?" I state. "Was she too ashamed and disgusted to look at him because his parents might've been followers of Valentine?" At least it made sense.

Jocelyn furiously shook her head. "Oh no, she defended her son and Celine to no end. In fact, she insisted they weren't Valentine's followers."

"But what about"

"Look at the time!" she interrupts, nearly tipping the saucepan over with the eggs in it. "We're going to be late to your lesson."

She all but pushed me out of my seat and into the car and started it. "I didn't get breakfast," I say stupidly.

"We can grab some after your lesson."

"But it'll be noon."

"Lunch then."

Sighing, I slouch in my seat as I think about it. This is certainly the first time I've ever heard that Jace's parents might've been Valentine's followers. I'm not sure how they hid that from the Clave as the Clave is known for snooping around in other Shawdowhunters business. And what were these suspicious circumstances Jocelyn is talking about? Was it a homicide, suicide or natural death? I sigh and look at the window at the beautiful scenery. I guess I have more questions then answers.

.

"Do you think the trainer will recognize me?" I ask Jocelyn as she shoves me out of the car.

"Don't be silly," she says, shutting the door. "Of course he will."

"But I haven't been to lessons for a while."

"It's only been a month."

"Clary!" the trainer's voice says from the parking lot. I guess he pulled up when we did. "Long time no see!"

_Shit. _"Hi trainer Randy!" I reply with fake cheerfulness. God, I really hate it here.

He jogs over to us and Jocelyn firmly holds me in place so I can't run off. He pats me on the back and smiles. I gulp, and try to return the smile. "Don't look so terrified, Fairchild! Now, tell me, why have you been missing my classes?"

"Well, I've had a lot of things that I"

"Well, it doesn't matter as you're here now. Mrs. Fairchild, Clary is in safe hands, I assure you." He flashes her a dazzling grin and she returns it. At least her smile isn't as forced as mine was. Randy is a family friend, or at least that's what Jocelyn's told me.

"I'll see you at noon," she says, slowly retreating to the car. Great, she leaves me with the crazy trainer, just great.

Randy steers me to the main building as if I'm a robot. "So, your mom told me that Sebastian isn't going to make it today. But, she said some other guy is going to! So," he looks around, "where is he?"

I shrug my shoulders. This makes him frown. "I don't like to wait on people," he states.

"Well, wait no longer sir!" a familiar voice says. Isabelle.

A car rolls up in front of the building, a couple feet away from us and Isabelle rolls down the window. Inside the luxury car, a very pissed off Jace Herondale is sitting in the passenger's side, glaring at her.

"This is _not _the museum!" he hisses.

Isabelle rolls her eyes as if she couldn't care less. "Jonathon," she says in a stern, motherly tone, "you need to get out more and I thought a training session would do you some good. Besides, you can bond with your, um." Isabelle glances at me for some sort of help. But I'm just as pissed as he is.

What the hell am I a supposed to say? 'Oh hey, Randy, it turns out our Runes also match up, me and Jace, and technically, he's my partner too!' "My friend," I sigh.

Both Jace and Isabelle look at me in surprise. Randy, however, seems unfazed. "Okay," he says slowly. "Well, the lesson starts in five minutes so you two better be in here, you hear?" Randy nods at me and then walks in the building.

"Isabelle," Jace says in a strained voice, turning back to her.

"Jace," Isabelle mocks.

"Don't make me do this," he begs.

"I know these circumstances are really weird, but the two of you need to get over yourself. Jace, stop being an arrogant prick and try to make the most of this situation. We don't know what to do about this right now so you two might as well try being friends. Clary, stop drooling over my brother."

"What?" I say, snapping back into focus. I hadn't meant to, but I wasn't _drooling. _Technically, my hand just itched for a pencil so I could sketch his face. He's not _bad-looking._

Jace winked at me, much to my annoyance. "Stop flirting!" Isabelle hisses.

That confuses me. "But I thought you said"

Isabelle reaches over Jace and flings his door open. "Go to the training session with Clary and see how it goes." The tone of her voice is non-negotiable.

Jace sighs and slowly steps out of the car. He doesn't get a word out before Isabelle peels out of the parking lot and back onto the interstate. "I thought you do these kinds of things with your partners," he says as we walk in.

I sigh and tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "You do but Sebastian is sick today and you are, technically, my partner." As if that's not blaringly obvious; I can feel the Sacred Rune curling and reaching for him and I'm certain his is doing the same.

"So what do you do in this weapons lesson thingy?" he asks as we walk past a couple of girls that smile and bat their eyelashes at him.

"You've never been to one?" I gasp.

He rolls his eyes and sighs. "Clary, I've never had a partner until just recently. Besides, I don't need these kinds of lessons anyway."

This is my cue to roll my eyes. "Oh yeah, then why are you here?"

"Because Isabelle has forced me to do this _or else_," he says, doing a terrible imitation of Isabelle at the end.

Despite this, I laugh. We stop in front of a glass door at the end of the hallway. "Is this it?" he asks, reaching up to knock on it.

I stop him and nod. "You just push it open."

"I knew that."

I roll my eyes, and, sucking in a breath, a push the door open.

.

"So, today is actually a private lesson," Randy says as he hands me a dagger. It feels heavy in my hands as I unsheathe it. The metal looks brand new as it clearly reflects the lights overhead. The hilt is just as beautiful with different runes carved into it, most I don't know. "That's Ariel," he says and then hands Jace a sword. "This is Jahoel."

He steps away from us and we quickly follow him to the back of the room. "Both of those are seraph blades, and they're not yours to keep. They're used for training purposes only and I'm sure both of your parents have special seraph blades that have been passed down for generations that are native to your bloodline."

"Both of you know how to fight, am I correct?" he asks.

I nod and he turns to Jace. "Yes."

"Good," Randy nods, "because I'm about to put you both in a simulation."

"What?" I practically yell.

Randy covers his ears and glares at me. "A simulation, girl, do I have to spell it out for you?"

Suddenly, I feel a little embarrassed by my outburst and shake my head. "No, it's just that in a simulation, you have to rely on the other person to make it out. You have to work as a team."

Randy nods slowly. "I'm aware of that, Ms. Fairchild. Do you not trust him?"

Jace stands there for a moment, also waiting for my answer. It's popestrous, really, to think that I could trust him. We haven't even trained together before and I don't know his battling style. To fight together, you have to know each other. "It's just that," I falter for a minute.

"Ms. Fairchild, you have to roll with the punches in life, there's no such thing as convenient in every situation. You have to learn to adjust accordingly."

"Okay," I say nervously, biting my lip. This is not going to end well, I can tell.

"Clary," Jace says, breaking me out of my trance. "We can do this, right partner?" He grins and I can say I'm pretty shocked. Is he being…nice, I dare say? No snide comments or innuendos flying my way?

"Alright," I say, with a little more confidence.

He grins again and I can't help but grin back. It's not like the fake one I gave Randy in the parking lot earlier, it's a real one.

Randy escorts us into the room and shuts the door. The simulation room is about the length of two football fields and it's really dark right now. "How are we going to do this, Jace? We've never trained together." I bit my lip and try to ignore how nervous I am.

"Trust me." It's the last thing he says before the simulation starts.

A horrible stench, a simulation demon, invades my nostrils and Jace pulls me down behind a table that's leaning on its side. Broken glass is everywhere and blood spatters line the wall as I cautiously try to look around the table.

Jace pulls me back to him, again, and puts a finger to his lips. "Remember how demons can smell you?" he quietly reminds me.

"Yes," I say, "but this type of demon has horrible eyesight.

He nods and unsheathes his sword also. The demon howls and rattles the table we're behind. "I've got an idea," he says. He quickly peers around the table and then back at me. "Okay, see that drawer over there?"

I nod and he continues. "Run over there as fast as you can with your dagger in your right hand, okay? That'll catch the demon's attention and, while he's distracted, I creep up on him and stab him in the heart."

"I thought demons didn't have hearts," I say.

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever, I'll just attack him while you serve as a distraction."

"How do you know this will work? Maybe I won't get away in time."

Jace puts his hands on my shoulders and stares in my green eyes with his gold ones. "You're small, right? That makes you quick and you can fit into small places. Also, just because you're small doesn't make you any less of a fight, right?"

"Right."

"Okay," he says, looking around the corner, again. "Go on my count, Fairchild."

"Whatever you say, Herondale."

"One"

The roaring is getting louder and it's deafening to listen to. I can smell the stench getting stronger as the demon gets closer.

"Two"

The hissing is just about on the other side of the table as the demon stomps loudly, knocking things over as it approaches. How graceful.

"GO!" he yells and I push past him to get out from the table.

The grotesque demon roars in delight as it's caught onto my smell. Furiously, it brings its claw down as I duck and roll, narrowly missing the poisonous swipe. My fingers clutch the hilt of the dagger as I continue to sprint. The demon screams in frustration as it runs after me.

Then I hear screaming and yelling. What's going on? Suddenly, more demons storm in without warning, and all are coming after me. Now I'm the one screaming. "Jace!" I scream as I continue to run, heart in my hand. What the hell? I've never seen a simulation like this before?

A demon appears in front of me, grinning. _What a pretty little girl, _it hisses, barring its teeth. _Would you mmmind if I ate you, pretty girl?_ Panic sets in as I try to back away. The demons in simulations do not talk; they just try to kill you.

The whole simulation is flooded with demons. I muffle a scream as it could attract a number of them. _Get back here, pretty girl! _The demon cries.

I step farther away from it and run into something slimy. Great, another demon. This one doesn't talk; instead, it slams me into the wall. I gasp for a breath as my fingers curl around the dagger and I stab it.

The demon shrieks in surprise and removes it claw from my throat. I let out an anguished cry and plunge the dagger into it again. Again and again, until the demon explodes into a small cloud and all that is left is the demon blood all over me.

I wince as I push myself to my feet and observe the scene around me. Demons are everywhere. They're running in hoards as the scope out the area; destroying and smashing the wall in. Something tells me this isn't right.

For the first time, I fear for my life. The simulation demon isn't there anymore and now I'm really confused. They don't just disappear. Unless…are these real demons? Fear and anger make me shudder as I realize that.

But…why would Randy have real demons in here? It's not supposed so real that the demons could actually kill you.

Standing, I wipe off the blood that hasn't dried and look for Jace. Along the way, demons try to eat me alive so I do what any sensible Shawdowhunter would do; I kill them. I slit their throats, cut their hearts out and some I stab in the back. Most vanish into demon dust but something hiss and slither away from me.

Then I spot him. Standing in the middle of a hoard that surrounds him, decapitating them. His eyes are burning in fury as he screams and slices them up. "Jace!" I scream and realize my mistake.

A dozen or so demons turn my way, all ready to kill. "Clary, run!" he screams back, as he slices the head off another one. That's why the stench was overpowering; it's _real._

One advances toward me and I immediately slam my dagger into its eye and ignore the screams it makes.

Suddenly, a force knocks the air out of me and I'm on the ground. I groan and blink to see Jace on top of me, concerned. "We need to get out of here," he says, getting off of me. "Something went wrong."

"What do you mean?" I ask, panicked.

"Randy started yelling to get out and then stopped. Next thing I know, real demons are swarming here. We need to get out of this simulation room."

"We'd have to break the glass," I say, nodding to the observation window. "It's meant to withstand a bullet; we'll never get out alive."

"The door," he says. "The door we came through can help us out."

"But it's locked by a machine and only a person on the outside can open it."

"Randy opened it," Jace states. "When he told me to get out, the door clicked open."

"Why didn't you?" I whisper in a raspy voice.

"I can't leave you behind," he says, helping me stand.

I want to thank him but now is really not the time for being sentimental. We run to the door only to find it surrounded by demons. They hiss and spit at us, and some lick their rotten teeth in delight. "Ready?" Jace asks, lifting up his sword as they advance towards us.

Honestly, it doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. I raise my dagger and begin to stab them as they come near. Jace decapitates and I stab. The ones that get close enough, I decapitate also.

The ones guarding the door are dead, but more are advancing this way. Jace flings the door open and shoves me through and I land on the hard, tile floor. Ceiling lights flicker and blood spatters the wall.

I look at it in horror and see Randy. Face down, a huge gash gushing with blood, without a shirt, and missing a leg.

Slowly, I walk towards him and can't help it. I turn around and empty what little is in my stomach. The whole place reeks of demons and it takes everything in me not to throw up again at the sight of the dead bodies everywhere.

"Clary, look out!"

I turn around just in time to see a claw rake down my face and I scream in agony as a burning sensation overcomes me and I black out.

**Haha, I left it at a cliffhanger! Mwahaha…I'm having too much fun with this. Anyway, I forget mention in the last chapter that I'm going to try updating two times a week(preferably on Tuesday and Friday, so far)! I keep forgetting to say this, but please go easy on any spelling mistakes as I don't currently have a beta and I'm not sure I'm going to ask for one. Happy birthday America!**

**Kykat-Yeah, it'll be interesting as the story progresses…**

**ddiva-Isabelle? Oh, she doesn't know how this happened, if that's what you mean. Yeah, she's as clueless as the Clave, but there is one person that knows how this Rune problem happened…but, I'm not saying who yet!**

**Guest-Well, I updated.**

**Monica-(Puts hands in front of face) I updated, I swear!**

**Mi cra-cra-Okay, obviously you have a LOT of questions about this whole thing. Remember, Clary and Jace just met so Clary is still confused on her feelings for Jace. And Jocelyn is trying to keep quiet about her son, aka Clary's brother, so she makes up some excuse. Plus, you never know if Jocelyn has any siblings in this story…maybe an OC will pop up soon…you never know. And Jonathon…well, you'll just have to wait and see what he's like…hehe. Why don't you sign in and PM some of your questions so I don't have to type a paragraph answering them?**

**Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome; flames and trolling are not. Happy 4****th**** of July and feel free to tell me all the fun things your family did or already has done, whatever time you find this update! (Whew, what a long chapter, am I right?) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"What happened?"

"What does it look like, Alec? They were attacked."

"But, I thought the Clave had everything under control."

"Obviously not if the demons flooded the bloody place."

"Hmm, I guess."

.

"So, let me get this straight."

An exasperated sigh. "I've explained what happened at the godforsaken place about a million times. Do you need a better _description_?"

"Well, yes, I do Mr. Herondale. According to my report, that I literally had to beat out of you, god, you're an ass."

"What kind of conclusion is that?"

"Let me get to the point! So, you were attacked by demons at the training faculty downtown and Ms. Fairchild was scratched across the face by one of the demons."

"Oh no, _I _tried to slice off her face. You know, for funsies."

"What the hell does that mean? Are you being sarcastic?"

"For a high-ranking Shawdowhunter, Luke, you sure aren't very smart."

"Shut up. It's not every day you have to deal with a boy with an ego the size of Betelgeuse."

"Excuse me, but I'm a _man._"

"I beg to differ."

"I can still kick your ass."

"The only with their ass about to get kicked is _you_. Please just answer the questions?"

A grunt. "Fine."

.

"She's still asleep," Isabelle concludes, feeling Clary's forehead. Then, she turns to Magnus Bane. "Isn't there anything else you can do?"

The wizard sighs and rubs the bags under his eyes. "I've tried everything, Isabelle. I can only help to an extend; then it's up to her to heal and wake up. The body has fascinating ways of healing itself."

Isabelle scowls at him. "She was attacked by an extremely poisonous demon; she needs more than just _luck_."

Magus rubs his forehead and plops down in a chair in the corner of the room. "Look, I know she's your best friend and all, but you need to trust me. I can't do everything. Besides, don't you have a Shawdowhunter meeting to sit on in right now?"

"That requires talking to the Clave. Please, I don't want anything to do with those drooling idiots."

"You talk of them as if they have no capacity to learn anything."

"Isabelle!" a voice from the door frame exclaims, catching both of their attention. "You need to come into the meeting room."

"Mom," Isabelle snaps, "I don't want to."

"Isabelle," Maryse snaps back.

"Why?" Isabelle whines.

"You're a Shawdowhunter; this meeting includes all Shawdowhunters of age."

Isabelle lets out a sigh and follows Maryse out of the room. But not before turning to Magnus Bane and saying, "If she wakes up, you better come get me if you value your life."

"I guess," Magus yawns, looking at the sleeping redhead.

"I've got my eye on you," Isabelle sneers before completely leaving the room.

.

"How are you?" Isabelle asks, sitting next to Jace.

"You want the truth?" Jace sighs, staring at the Clave members in the room who are quietly talking amongst themselves.

Isabelle follows his gaze and sees her father amongst them. "Sure, I have a feeling you're going to tell me-"

"I feel like shit," Jace interrupts, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have a pounding headache and Clary's in a coma. Oh, I can't wait until snotty Sebastian gets here to try to bash my head in for this."

Isabelle scrunches her eyebrows together in confusion. "No, I think he'll be glad you saved her in time."

Jace's fist slams into the table. "No, I didn't! Have you not noticed she's in a coma? This is my fault."

This time, Isabelle rolls her eyes. "Really, are we going to play the blame game?"

"Yes."

"What, does it make you feel better?"

"No, not really."

"So, it's pointless."

"Herondale!" a voice yells from the front of the room. Isabelle looks up and inwardly groans; of course, Sebastian has perfect timing

She can't help but giggle when Sebastian stomps over to them, shoving people out of the way. He just looks so funny angry; with his red face and swinging his arms like some kind of gorilla.

"Hi to you too Verlac," Jace says, trying his best to ignore him.

"Clary's fine," Isabelle says in a feeble voice, trying to calm him. But Sebastian doesn't seem to hear.

"I thought you were sick," Jace states.

"Sick of you," Sebastian hisses.

"What have I done now?" Jace sighs, lazily looking at Sebastian. This only infuriates him further.

"What have you _done_?" Sebastian roars.

Isabelle shifts uncomfortably in her seat, trying to put herself between them. "Um, I think you can settle this la-"

Suddenly, a searing pain knocks Isabelle off her seat and her head slams into the ground. Hot tears slide down her face in realization; Sebastian just punched her. "You son of a bitch!" Jace's voice roars and proceeds to smash Sebastian's head in. "You just attacked a girl, you crazy bastard!"

Isabelle springs to her feet, eager to stop this fight. But, the two boys have already moved out of her sight to beat the living daylights out of each other elsewhere. Groaning, Isabelle feels her head for blood and, when she finds none, runs off to find the two.

She finds them rather quickly as many of the older Shawdowhunters are furiously trying to break them apart. "Stop it this instant, Jace!" Robert's voice rings out, trying to pull his son off of Sebastian.

His pleas fall on deaf ears as Jace slams Sebastian into the wall. "You touch my sister again and I'll be less _forgiving,_" he spits and swiftly walks away.

"You're the crazy one," Sebastian yells after him. "I can't believe Clary would even go near _you_. What'd you do, huh? Slip something in her drink? Bribe her with something? Maybe Daddy showed you those tricks? Oh wait, he's dead."

"Do you want to dig your own grave?" Jace snarls, glaring daggers at Sebastian from across the room. Many of the other Shawdowhunters are frozen in shock…and anger. "Besides, Clary's her own person." Then, he calmly, trying to mask his anger, takes a seat.

"I call the meeting to order. Everyone, take your seats," Imogene Herondale says quietly, sneaking glances at her grandson.

There's a quiet shuffling of feet as the Shawdowhunters take their seats. "Are you okay?" Jace whispers to Isabelle, clenching his fists.

"Yes," she whispers back. "Don't fight him, Jace, it's not worth it."

Almost everyone has taken their seat when the doors to the room fling open and a very exhausted looking Alec stands in the doorway. "So Clary's the same, still in a coma and-What the hell happened to your face, Iz?"

.

"That cold-hearted bastard," Alec swears after the two explain what happened. Then, he shakes his head. "What's wrong with him, anyway?"

"What isn't?" Jace snorts, turning to the front of the room to listen to the speaker.

"Apparently, Valentine's forces are getting stronger," Andrew Blackthorn concludes. "It's a moot point, but we're at war. Obviously, we need to strengthen borders and close all portals. No one is allowed to leave or portal out of the city until it is deemed safe."

This stirs up a collective groan from everyone and arguments.

"That is not fair!"

"How are we going to attack Valentine's forces if we're sitting ducks?!"

"He's going to invade again!"

"This is the worst plan ever!"

"I demand silence!" Andrew screams over the crowd. "There is no other choice and there are no more arguments! The latest of our army will leave tomorrow! After that, no one leaves this city. Also, school is dismissed until this threat is no more! It's too much of a risk to allow so many Shawdowhunters in an enclosed area. If Valentine were to attack the school, the results would be far from devastating. Also, all training areas will be heavily guarded from now on. You must show an ID to get in and curfew is eleven."

"All this for an attack?" one Shawdowhunter yells. "How can we be sure that he's going to attack this specific area again?"

"It's called be proactive!" Andrew snaps, glaring at the Shawdowhunter. "This is the third direct attack this month! We can't take anymore chances! This meeting is dismissed; there will be no more discussions on this matter!" By the end, Andrew is huffing angrily as he stomps off of the podium and through the door.

Immediately, the whole room erupts into arguments once more and Isabelle stands up. "Where are you going?" Jace asks.

"I'm going to visit Clary," she states, beginning to walk off. "Once again, the Clave has accomplished nothing but filling our heads with empty hope and fear."

"I'll come with you," Jace says, biting his lip. "I just…I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Count me in," Alec says, jumping up.

Isabelle shakes her head and says, "Well, come on then."

.

"Wait, I've got to use the restroom," Isabelle says, earning a groan from Jace and Alec.

"We'll wait here," Alec says, leaning against the wall.

Isabelle nods and walks off to the restroom. Her hand is on the door when she hears a sniffling noise. "I just blame myself," a familiar voice sighs. Jocelyn?

Isabelle starts to walk around the corner when another voice answers Jocelyn. "How did you know he was going to turn into some sort of psychopath? You can't control him." Luke.

There's a short bark of laughter. "He's a monster, I should've known better. This is why I ran, remember? I ran to get away from _him_. But, he found us once more. It's like some horrible dream I keep having to live through."

"But it's the truth," Luke says sharply. "You can run away from your problems but they never go away. Remember, you _knew _this would happen one day and yet you tried to avoid the issue with Clary. She deserves to know the truth; for her sake."

Clary? Isabelle frowns. What didn't she know?

"Who wants to know a monster like him is her father?" Jocelyn exclaims. "The Shawdowhunter community would surely disown her at the very least. They'd consider her too much of a threat or something! I know it!" Then, Jocelyn begins to hyperventilate.

"She needs the truth!" Luke snarls. "If you don't tell her know, and she finds out some other way, she'll never forgive you Jocelyn!"

Another sigh. "I also figured we'd have more time. I just thought maybe I could hide this forever, y'know? But some secrets just can't stay a secret forever."

"Tell her," Luke hisses. "When she wakes up, that's what you tell her."

"What's wrong with you? Do you think that's the first thing she wants to hear when she wakes up? Huh? _Oh hi honey, I know you just woke up and all but I have some news for you. You know your dad that you thought was dead? Well, it turns out, it's Valentine, that guy that's killing Shawdowhunters and Downworlders alike. Yep, you also have a demon brother, just so you know. Yeah, it's a funny story, I know."_

Isabelle can't breathe.

Clary.

Valentine.

Jocelyn kept it from _her._

Jocelyn kept it from the _Shawdowhunter Community._

Isabelle must've made a sound because the two voices stopped. "Who's there?" Jocelyn asks in a small voice, terrified.

"Me," Isabelle snarls, stepping out of the shadows. Too many thoughts cloud her head and she can't think at all.

"Oh, it's just Isabelle," Jocelyn says, sounding relieved.

_Oh, if you think I'm keeping your secret, you're damn mistaken. _"How could you?" Isabelle whispers, her voice hoarse. "All this time…how could you?"

"Isabelle," Luke says in a warning voice.

"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER!" Isabelle cries in blind fury. "ALL THIS TIME…YOU'VE KEPT THIS?! WHEN THE CLAVE FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS…SHE'S DONE FOR!" Then, Isabelle breaks down into a sob, leaning against the wall for support.

"Don't tell them," Jocelyn begs, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please, Isabelle, don't tell them. If anyone deserves to get disowned, it's me."

"You're damn right about that!" Isabelle snarls, furiously wiping her tears away. "What kind of Mother does that? What kind of Mother hides the truth like that?"

"Isabelle, it's not that simple-"

"The Clave will _not _turn its back on Clary; it's not her fault. But it is _your _fault and I can't guarantee that they won't disown you. It's against the _law, _Jocelyn." Then, she gets up from the wall and swiftly begins to walk back to the Jace and Alec.

Luke roughly grabs her arm. "Don't tell anyone," he says quietly, before letting Isabelle go.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything," she says, disgusted as she walks off.

.

"What took you so long?" Alec asks.

"Nothing," Isabelle replies stiffly.

"Were you crying?" Jace asks, concerned.

"Let's go; do you want to ask questions or see Clary?" Isabelle asks, sharply. Both boys look at her with a suspicious gaze but decide to do the latter.

Magus is still sitting the chair. "Alexander," he says as a way of greeting.

Alec's face goes bright red. "M-Magnus," he stutters out.

"You don't have to act all awkward, we all know you two are dating," Isabelle snaps, anger getting the best of her.

Alec looks a bit hurt for a moment. "I'm sorry," Isabelle says, looking at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jace says, staring at Clary's unconscious form. "You seem…a bit on edge."

"I'm fine," she snarls, taking a seat by Clary.

"Isabelle," Alec begins, cautiously, "is it that time of the month?"

"Do you really want to know?" she sighs, grinning on the inside at their horrified expressions.

"So how was the meeting, Isabelle?" Magnus asks, playing with the rings on his fingers.

"Terrible," Jace answers for her. "We got absolutely nothing done. Now we got to stay locked in this city and we can't portal out."

"Hmm," Magnus murmurs. "That's quite a shiner your sporting, Herondale."

Jace looks away. "Shut up."

"And how did that happen?" Magnus muses.

"Sebastian punched him while he was trying to defend Isabelle's honor," Alec replies.

"I said shut up!" he hisses.

"Okay," Magnus says, putting his hands up in self-defense. "How are you, Jace?"

Isabelle sighs, knowing the answer. "Oh, you mean aside from the fact that I nearly got Clary killed, we're not allowed to portal or leave this city and I got a shiner from snotty little Sebastian? Fine, just fine," he replies bitterly.

"Is Clary any better?" Jace adds as an afterthought.

Magnus shakes his head and Jace hangs his head. "This is my thought…I should've gone with her. I shouldn't have let her wander out alone."

"Don't blame yourself," Isabelle reminds him, glaring at him. "It hasn't fixed anything and it won't fix anything."

"Can I…sit down next to her?" Jace asks, glancing at Isabelle.

Immediately, Isabelle gets up and offers him her seat. Tensely, he sits down and brushes a curl out of Clary's face. Grinning, Isabelle joins Alec and Magnus in the back of the room.

"I give it a couple of days," Isabelle says, jabbing her finger at Jace.

Alec scowls at her and shakes his head. "Please, you're not being reasonable. He just feels bad that he put her in a coma."

"Do I also have to reassure you also that Jace didn't do that? Besides, that's not _just feeling bad_."

"Clary loves Sebastian, remember?" Alec reminds her.

A low scream catches everyone's attention. They all turn to Clary and find her sitting up, eyes bewildered and clutching onto Jace's hand.

"Oh my-"

"She's awake," Magnus announces, and walks over to check on her.

"Holy shit."

**Now everyone hates me. Sorry, but I had to leave it there! Anyway, I decided to try a third person point of view and I think I'll be doing this POV occasionally from now on! You guys need more of an insight on other characters rather than just Clary. Don't worry; Clary's POV will be back next chapter.**

**runemagic-Hope you had a good 4****th**** of July! Thanks for the review!**

**Kykat-Hmm, I don't think it matters. Reviews tell me what I'm doing good and concrit tells me mistakes I may(spelling errors, inconsistency, etc) have made. Either way, they both count as a review so do either.**

**ravenwalker321-Nope, don't worry. She doesn't have a scar or anything!**

**MI cra-cra-Yeah, I think I'm moving this story along **_**way **_**to quickly. I mean, I think I might've rushed or something. Anyway, remember that they just met like literally yesterday. I know, it's too rushed and that's probably really confusing.**

**Guest-Thanks!**

**Thanks for your awesome reviews! Also, do you guys like it better when I do Clary's POV or 3****rd**** POV? Just wondering…**

**R&R please! It makes my day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Something is not right.

"-I mean, it's a miracle you even woke up at all!" Magnus Bane, the warlock, babbles on in excitement. "You were scratched by a highly poisonous demon and you should've died."

Isabelle shoots him a death glare and gives me a tired smile. It's like she's trying to keep her distance from me or something. Her fingers impatiently tap on her pant leg; a habit of hers that I've learned means she's keeping something from me. But she won't tell me…at least not in front of these people, I know that for sure.

"Maybe Jace woke me up," I joke, trying to cut the nervous tension in the room. "I mean, maybe we're Rune Mates or something."

"Huh?" Alec asks, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"She means soul mates," Isabelle corrects.

"No," I snort, "like 'room mates.'"

"That makes even less sense then what Isabelle just said," Jace says, giving me a weird look.

"You could back me up here," I groan, giving him the evil eye.

He shrugs as if he couldn't care less. "I didn't know you were _that _kind of girl, sweetheart, but I guess everyone has their dirty little secrets."

"Do you have to make an innuendo with everything I say?"

"It's all part of the charm…oh wait, hmm, that might be the good looks…no, those come on their own…"

"It's good to be modest every once in a while," I snap.

"Only ugly people say that kind of stuff."

I have half the mind to stand up and throttle him, when the door flings open and rattles against its hinges. "Clary!" a relived, quite familiar, voice says.

Sebastian quickly walks across the room and wraps me in a bear hug. "Can't…breathe," I sputter out and he immediately lets go.

"You've been in a coma for a couple of days," he says, concerned.

The room has gotten strangely quiet. "Yeah, so I've been told. What happened while I was checked out of here?"

Sighing, he runs his fingers through his jet black hair and grabs a stool to sit on. "The training facility that you and Jace were in was flooded with demons. Somehow, Valentine managed to take down the wards and nobody survived. The Clave knew Valentine's army was preparing for another attack but they didn't know it would happen so soon. Right now, they're putting the wards back up and school is out for the time being. They say it isn't safe for so many Shawdowhunters to be in a contained area."

"They're also saying that all Shawdowhunters need to stick with their Rune partner," Isabelle pipes up. "We can't travel in large groups, over two, after dark but it's always a good idea to have someone else with you. Plus, your Rune partner knows all your strengths and weaknesses so it's the best idea."

"Well, it looks like that poses a slight problem for me," I say sarcastically. "Did the Clave mention if you have _two _partners?"

"No, but-"

"Of course the Clave didn't mention it," Jace snaps. "They don't give two shits about us; they'd rather focus on 'the more important things.'"

"Stop it," Alec says in a harsh tone. "The Clave is doing the best they can to help with the three of you guys predicament. It's not like they can snap their fingers and the problem is solved. Besides, Jace needs to learn a little something called _patience_."

At that, Jace shoots up from his seat, fuming in anger. "Oh, I've heard it all before, brother dearest. _Now Jace, you need to be patient. The Clave is investigating the murder as thoroughly as they can-I mean, what murder?_ Hell, I've been patient for years and it's got me nowhere. Your precious Clave told me that my parents _disappearance _would be seen into but, the truth is, the Clave just swept my parents case under the rug."

Now Isabelle stands up. "Jace, your parents weren't murdered-"

"Bullshit!" he yells, knocking a table over on accident. "They disappeared for years and then they come back dead."

"Jace, your parents were executed for undisclosed reasons-"

"Don't I deserve to know?" he cries angrily. "I'm eighteen years old, I'm a goddamn adult for crying out loud, and still, nobody is even _willing _to explain to me why my parents were executed. How is that fair to me?"

"I think you need to calm down-"

"To top it all off," Jace continues, growing more furious as seconds tick by, "my own grandmother still refuses to let me live with her. Doesn't she have an obligation to at least treat me like her grandson and not some kind of nuisance that she pawned off to someone?"

"Stop it," Alec snarls. "This is getting a bit old, Jace. Imogene made a decision, a horrible one, I'll give you that, but screaming and bitching about it isn't going to fix it. You agonize about this everyday and it's just killing you a little more every time. What good is it doing you to hold onto the past, huh?"

"I still hardly think it is fair that no one will care to tell me why my parents were executed," he snaps, eyes flashing in anger.

"For the love of the angel Raizel," Sebastian says in exasperation. "Herondale, your mommy and daddy issues are getting a bit old. Don't you have better things to do in life, like drown yourself in a river?"

One second, the two are glaring daggers across the room. The next, Jace, as quick as lightning, connects his fist with Sebastian's jaw and Sebastian doubles over in pain. A loud crunching tells me that Jace got Sebastian pretty good.

"Oh my God!" Isabelle screams, rushing over.

"Jace, what's wrong with you?" I whisper, trying to meet his shocked gaze.

Instead, he stares at Sebastian for a second before running out of the room. Slowly, I slide off the bed and try to cradle Sebastian's head while not getting blood on my shirt. "Go," Isabelle says, catching my attention.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Look, we'll take care of Sebastian right now…you should go talk to Jace."

"Oh, that's a good idea," I scoff. "Because we're the bestest of buddies, y'know."

Isabelle groans and mumbles something like, 'It's like I'm talking to Jace.' Then, she looks at me. "He needs someone to talk to, Clary. I don't think you know how hard his life has been lately. Besides, you're technically his partner and it would be in your best interest to try and calm him down."

"Isabelle," I whine.

"Clary, go," she whines back.

I glare at her for a moment before reluctantly getting up. "I'm only doing this because I'm a compassionate person."

"Sure."

.

"Jace!" I yell down the hallway, running to catch up with him. He doesn't even flinch; instead, he continues walking as if I haven't been screaming his name like my life depends on it.

"I want to talk to you!" I try again, picking up my pace.

"Let me guess, Isabelle sent you," he replies without turning around.

"Yes, but I do want to talk to you," I say.

This makes him snort. "Sure, all you can say is how you can't stand me. Leave me alone to go stalk in peace."

"I think you mean 'sulk in peace'," I correct.

This time, he turns around and smirks. "You don't know what I do in my free time, Clarissa."

His pause in walking gives me a chance to catch up. "Do you want to talk about anything?" I ask, cautiously.

"Besides your dick of a boyfriend Sebastian or my good looks?" He pauses for a moment to pretend to think about it. "No, I'm good." Then, he continues down the hallway, not stopping once.

"Why are you like this?" I yell, exasperated.

This causes him to pause and turn around towards me for a second. "I'm not sure I follow, Clary."

"Why is it that you can be a caring, nice person and then the next moment you're trying to feed your lame ego?"

Instead of being offended or angered, he cocks his head to the side in confusion. "I have no idea what you mean by that. Why, I'm the most generous person I know."

"That!" I exclaim. "You claim to be modest-"

"I never claimed to be modest."

"Whatever!"

"Is this what you wanted to talk about, my good lucks and amazing charm? I mean, I could talk about it all day, but I've got stuff to do, so-"

"Do you want to talk about your parents?" I ask and notice him visibly wince.

"No," he snarls, all humor gone.

"But, they say it's good to let anger out and-"

"Goodbye, Clary," he says, turning his heel and storming off.

Why is his so infuriating? I dig my fingernails deep into my skin to prevent my hands from reaching for my hair to rip out of my scalp. After a moment's hesitation, I run after him, pushing past a bunch of random Shawdowhunters.

Wait…did he go this way? He sure isn't anywhere around here. "Clary!" a voice says, starling me.

Andrew Blackthorn walks up to me with his suit on and a glass of champagne in his left hand. "How did the coma thing go for you?"

"What?" I ask, slightly offended. Does he even know what he's talking about?

"Never mind," he says, quickly dismissing it. "I need to talk to you and Jace about your Rune problem. We think we have some kind of idea what the problem is."

"Good," I sigh in relief.

"You know what'd be even better? If Jace Herondale was here. Where is that boy?" Andrew sets his glass down on a nearby table, smoothing down an imaginary wrinkle on his suit.

"I don't know. I ran after him after he stormed off," I say. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go find him."

"GO TO HELL!" a familiar voice screeches, making me cringe.

Andrew's eyes widen at the vulgar word and he turns to look at me.

"Found him," I say weakly.

.

"Apologize to your grandma," Andrew Blackthorn snaps, glaring at Jace.

I avoid looking at anyone in the angry, semi-circle and instead turn my attention to the ceiling. Wow, those colors really clash with each other.

"Oh yeah, why should I?" Jace mocks, crossing his arms. "Maybe she should apologize to me for staring the argument."

"Jace," Imogene sighs, rubbing her forehead. "You threw the door open on an important meeting I was having with members of the Clave. Then, you proceeded to yank the tablecloth off the table and pour scalding hot water on Patricia Firefox. Afterwards, while she was screeching like a banshee, you said, 'You deserved it.' So excuse me if I started 'screaming' at you."

"Those actions are uncalled for," Andrew snaps, glaring at Jace. "I think a week in the Silent City jail will be _quite _generous for your childish behavior. Don't you think so, Imogene?"

Imogene opens her mouth to respond but I beat her to the punch. "I think that Jace made a _terrible _mistake. Isn't that right?" I turn to him but he doesn't respond, instead glaring at Imogene. "And I will make sure that _nothing _of the sort happens again. Now, Jace, please apologize to Imogene Herondale."

There are three responses to what I just said. Andrew looks shocked, gaping at me with an open mouth. Imogene, who is offended that I didn't address her as Jace's grandma. And…Jace, who is just as surprised as Andrew. "Jace," I say, a little urgently. "Please apologize to her."

"I'd rather not," he snarls.

"Would you like to spend a week in the Silent City jail instead, listening to the screaming of tortured souls?" I ask through clenched teeth.

"No, but I-"

"Just apologize for the love of whatever you hold holy!"

"Fine," he grounds out. "Imogene, I am extremely sorry for the trouble I caused."

"What trouble?" Imogene asks, waiting.

"For storming into your meeting."

"_And_?"

"Yanking your expensive tablecloth off and pouring hot water on one of the Clave members."

"_And_?"

"Telling you to go to hell?"

"_And_?"

"What do you mean, _And_? I didn't do anything after that."

"No, before I dragged you out of the room."

"What…oh yeah! I'm _not _sorry for my rude hand gesture at the Clave members and telling that one guy to suck a dick."

"JACE HERONDALE!" Imogene screams, slapping him upside the head. "Don't be so crass with your language!"

This only causes him to smirk and lean against the wall. "Would you rather me tell the guy to suck a penis or something?"

Imogene's face is red with fury and I slap her hand away before she can slap him silly once more. "I think what Jace means is that he is sorry for his actions and inappropriate behavior towards everyone," I say quickly.

"Actually, I'm n-"

"Shut up," I snarl at him before turning to smile sweetly at Andrew Blackthorn. "Like I said, he's sorry."

"He doesn't look like it," Andrew murmurs, referring to Jace's smirk. "Anyway, he did _somewhat _apologize, a crappy one at that, but he still needs to be punished. Clary, I'm placing him under your watch. Jace, you have a month of house arrest and you are not to go outside unless Clary is with you."

My mouth drops open in disbelief and I realize my good intentions got me nowhere. "But-but," I stutter. "That would be a punishment for me too!"

Andrew's eyes blink in surprise. "I just want you to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid again."

"I can't prevent that, thank you very much. Anyway, why place him under my watch? He's got Isabelle and Alec to watch after him. They are his siblings, after all. Plus, Maryse would be overjoyed to, I'm sure."

"As his Rune partner, it's only natural that you would be the one to watch his behavior," Andrew says harshly.

"Well, I've got Sebastian too, so I-"

"Then take him along with you too," Andrew suggests, not really caring. "That's the deal, and there's no backing out of it. Either of you, for that matter."

"Runes!" I exclaim. "Andrew Blackthorn, you said you had something to speak to us about regarding our Runes."

"Oh yeah," he says. "Imogene, I'll see you later; I need to talk to these two."

Imogene eyes Jace suspiciously before walking off, storming off, I dare say. "Remember how I told you Sacred Runes are lab created?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so, um, maybe we should do this somewhere else. We are in the middle of a hallway."

.

We stand outside of Andrew Blackthorn's office as he messes around with a bunch of keys, trying to find the right one.

"Since this is your office," Jace says, trying to clear the air, "shouldn't you know which key is your room key?"

"This is the laboratory," Blackthorn corrects and continues shoving keys in the doorknob. "I'm bound to find it sometime."

Then, the doorknob clicks and swings open. "Aha!" He walks ahead of us, rushing to some desk as I observe the laboratory.

It's pretty bright in here, a white color is everywhere. Row after row of desks with a computer stand in front of me. Loose papers are scattered about and most of the desks have pictures of people, family. At the front, is a stage-like thing with a three huge filing cabinets that are overflowing with papers. Some aren't even in the cabinet, sticking out wherever they can. Rolling chairs, unlike everything else, are neatly tucked under the desks. Mugs of coffee and tea are sitting on some desks. At the moment, only a couple of the Clave members are silently clacking away at their keyboard. None of them acknowledge that we're here, and one guy takes an obnoxiously loud sip of coffee before clicking on something with his mouse.

"Is this the Clave headquarters?" I wonder out loud.

"No," Andrew says, standing in front of us with a portfolio, like everything else, overflowing with paper. "It's like a subsection. Headquarters has all the important documents, such as birth certificates, and this subsection has tiny meeting rooms and the laboratory."

"I really don't see the difference," Jace says.

"It's a little confusing," Andrew sighs and then motions to the nearest seat, "sit down, please."

We oblige and then I jump up for a second. "Wait, shouldn't Sebastian be here?"

"Does this concern him?"

"Yes-"

"Is he the one with a Sacred Rune that matches up with two people?"

"No, but I-"

"Listen now and questions later," Andrew cuts off, setting the portfolio down.

"Not too long ago, Shawdowhunters were at a decent number. Before Sacred Rune partners, we had Parabatai. But, Valentine Morgenston, as you know, began killing Shawdowhunters at random. Well, at least we thought it was random at first. The thing is…he's trying to play God at this point. He believes some Shawdowhunters are stronger than others and the weaker should die as they are of no use to him."

"Actually, he'd be playing Hitler," I suggest and Andrew rolls his eyes as if he couldn't care less.

"Fine, he's playing Hitler. Anyway, that's the whole reasoning behind Sacred Runes. Parabatai can defend each other like it's no one's business. We got to thinking, _what if we forced our people become Parabatai_? Of course, no one wants that, so we came up with a gene mutation. We-wait a second."

"What?" Jace demands. "Get to the point."

"Can you two keep a secret?" Andrew Blackthorn asks, lowering his voice.

"As long as it's legal," I muse.

"Just say you'll keep the secret!" Andrew demands.

"That's hardly fair, we don't know what it is," Jace snaps.

"Just trust me!" he hisses.

"We don't have a reason to," I state in a monotone voice.

"Look do you want to know the truth or not?" Andrew hisses.

"Fine, we'll keep your damn secret," Jace snarls.

"Clary, will you?"

"Fine! I'm just saying it better be legal."

"Okay," Andrew Blackthorn says, looking nervous at both of us. "Please, you can't tell anyone about this. Like I was saying, a Sacred Rune is a gene mutation our scientists were working on. Sacred Runes are a new thing that was introduced to the generation before you guys and it seems to work."

"This doesn't explain our Rune problem," Jace sighs.

"Be patient!" Andrew Blackthorn snaps. "Anyway, every time a female Shawdowhunter gets pregnant, they must come here so we can implant the gene mutation in the unborn baby. That way, it's in their genes to have a Sacred Rune. But…you never know what you're going to get."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"Because…because Sacred Runes are distributed at random."

**Haha, another cliffhanger. And, um, I'm rather sorry for not updating sooner. First, I had to retype this chapter because it was a piece of dog poo AND I just got back from vacation a couple of days ago. Disney World was pretty cool and so was Universal Orlando. Again, my sincerest apologies for leaving you guys without warning for weeks, nearly a month. I know I really hate when others do that and then never finish their story. No need to worry, I intend to finish Sacred Runes! I know exactly how it's going to end and I think it will surprise the majority of you! Anyway…now onto the bad news. I've got this essay I have to do with English that's due at the beginning of school…BOO! I detest essays but I've got to get it done. Also, Friday is my birthday! Lol, that was rather random, but I just wanted to put that in. Anyway, back to the bad news. On my birthday, I have to go to band camp before school starts to get ready for marching band. I don't want to go but at the same time, I do, y'know? So, updates for SR are going to be irregular and whenever I have time to update…sorry, again. It's sad for me too because I had planned for SR to be done in December but I guess it'll be sometime next year. (Sigh), so yeah. I'm sorry for this really long Author's note but I had to put all this in. I don't think I'll be able to answer reviews anymore, and I'm sorry again. I think I've said 'sorry' too many times in this note. But I do have to answer this one review, Kykat-I called Magnus a wizard because I've been reading Harry Potter FFs lately.**

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! Do you think you could leave a review as an early birthday present, please?**

**-ImagineDarkness **


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